FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers: Indian basketball team beats Kazakhstan for first time in 27 years

The Indian men’s basketball team scripted a historic 88-69 win over higher-ranked Kazakhstan in its fourth Group E match of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers 2025 at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Monday.

The landmark win, India’s first against Kazakhstan in a major FIBA competition in 27 years, also keeps them alive in the competition.

The Indian basketball team is currently second in Group E with five points above Kazakhstan and a Qatari side who have a game in hand. Islamic Republic of Iran, who also have a game in hand, are on top of the table with six points.

Only the top two teams from the group will advance directly while the third-placed team will compete in a separate qualifying event for the remaining four spots at the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 in Saudi Arabia.

India, 76th in the FIBA world rankings, were off to a slow start and trailed world No. 69 Kazakhstan 18-9 at the end of the first quarter.

However, a fiery second quarter led by Kanwar Sandhu’s three triples within four minutes turned the tide. India seized a one-point lead at 22-21 before Palpreet Singh Brar, Pranav Prince and captain Muin Bek Hafeez powered the team to a 37-33 advantage at half-time.

The start of the third quarter proved to be decisive as India burst out with a 10-point run to seize control. By the end of the period, the hosts held a commanding 63-51 lead which they extended to clinch the game by a 19-point margin.

Pranav Prince and Kanwar Sandhu emerged as joint top scorers for India with 17 points each while Vladimir Ivanov matched their tally for Kazakhstan.

The Indian basketball team will next take on Iran and Qatar in their final two matches of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers round in February next year.